1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to agricultural implements for use in treating soil to help rid the soil of unwanted insects, weeds, seeds, etc.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various methods and implements have heretofore been developed to help rid soil of unwanted insects, nematodes, weeds, grass, seeds, etc., in an attempt to make agricultural land more productive. Woods, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,008,891 and 2,237,775 disclose apparatuses that include knife-like plow members for being pulled through the soil. Each plow member is coupled to fuel tanks and includes burners or the like for burning the fuel to cause heat or flame to be distributed to the soil penetrated by the plow. Elliott, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,272,190 and 2,602,388 disclose apparatuses for discharging super heated steam into soil to kill insects, weed seeds, etc. The apparatus of the U.S. Pat. No. 2,602,388 has an elongated tunnel 26, a blade 35 for digging up soil and advancing the soil into the front of the tunnel 26, a pair of oppositely rotating conveyor screws 28 within the tunnel 26 rotating at a high enough speed to break up the soil and to move the soil through the tunnel 26, and steam distributing manifolds 55, 56 extending lengthwise of the tunnel 26 above and below the coacting edges of the conveyor screws 55, 56. Toulmin, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,755,719 and 2,858,755 disclose implements which includes disc harrows for loosening soil, scoops for picking up the loosened soil, enclosed conveyors for conveying the picked up soil to a treating chamber, and gas burner units for subjecting the soil to heat or flames within the treating chamber. MacDonald, U.S. Pat. No. 2,986,841 discloses an apparatus including a "ground peeling" deflector, a tooth drum for assisting in feeding the soil over the deflector, rotary beaters for breaking up the soil lifted by the deflector, and a flame thrower or burner to subject the broken soil to flame as the broken soil falls back to the ground. None of the above patents disclose or suggest the present invention.